Forgiven

By: Terri Roberts

Forgiven

By: Terri Roberts

Summary:

On October 2, 2006, a gunman entered an Amish one-room schoolhouse, shooting ten girls, killing five, then finally taking his own life. This is his mother’s story. Not only did she lose her precious son through suicide, but she also lost her understanding of him as an honorable man. It was a trauma that no one should ever have to face. But the biggest headlines came when her Amish neighbors did the unimaginable, reaching out to the family of the shooter with comfort and forgiveness. Today, Terri lives in harmony with the Amish and has built lasting relationships beyond what anyone could have thought possible. From the grace that the Amish showed Terri’s family from day one, to the visits and ongoing care Terri has given to the victims and their families, no one could have foreseen the love and friendship that have been forged from the fires of tragedy.

Characters:

Terri Roberts-

Terri is the mom of Charlie. She travels the United States and the world speaking about Nickel Mines Amish school shooting, forgiveness, and hope. She has been interviewed by CBS News, Associated press, and Reuters. Terri is a mother of four sons and a grandmother of eleven. She and her husband live in Strasburg.

Charlie Roberts-

Charlie grew up in Strasburg. Married in his 20's with two babies that passed away and 3 other boys. Charlie couldn't bear the pain of his losses. One early morning he was delivering milk but he had other plans. Charlie went to the Nickel Mines Amish school where he injured 5 and killed 5 girls, and also took his own life.

Amish Boys-

Helped Charlie get wood, chains, tools and more stuff out of his truck. They they ran away to find help to a local Amish man. Thats when the man called 911 and was alerted to the incident.

Terri Roberts

Charlie Roberts

Amish Boys

Terri Roberts

Charlie Roberts

Amish Boys

Quote:

"All those poor people. Those poor, poor children. Those poor mothers. Those poor fathers. Those poor grandparents. My poor, poor son. My baby son. I wish i would have been a better dad"(Roberts 22). This quote from the story mean that Chuck (Terri husband and Charlie's son) wish he would have been a better dad because it was really hard for him and Terri to live through. In the quote "All those poor people. Those poor, poor children. Those poor mothers. Those poor fathers. Those poor grandparents. My poor, poor son. My baby son. I wish i would have been a better dad" when Chuck says I wish i was a better dad it wasn't really his fought that his son shot those 10 girls really its because when Charlie's daughter was born she passed away 15 minutes after coming out Charlie's wife. And Charlie really never healed after that things got worse.

Theme:

The theme in my book "Forgiven" is that Forgiveness does more for the forgiver than the forgiven this means that Forgiveness is a good thing depends what kind of situation your in. This book shows that Forgiveness is a good thing cause the Amish still talk to Terri, Chuck, Charlie's wife and the whole Roberts family.